Moccasin Creek cleanup effort good start

September 13, 2007

Any project that cleans up Moccasin Creek is a good one. NorthWestern Energy has initiated a project to remove sediment containing coal tar from a section of Moccasin Creek, also known as the Mog. We think that's great. NorthWestern got involved because it owns the property on which the Aberdeen Gas Company plant operated until 1948. The coal tar found in the Mog's sediment was a byproduct of the gas plant, which converted coal into gas that was used in homes and to light street lamps. Bill Thompson, a senior engineer with NorthWestern, said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources wanted the project done because it keeps tabs of such sites until they are properly cleaned. It's good to know that corrective measures are being taken. As the old saying goes, "better late than never." Some people have wondered if the NorthWestern project is part of the city's ongoing discussion on efforts to improve the Mog's flow. The short answer is: No. The purpose of the NorthWestern project is to dig 25,000 tons of sediment tainted with coal tar out of the creek in order to comply with DENR guidelines. However, completing this project can only help ongoing efforts to revitalize the Mog. Mayor Mike Levsen said that the city is still wrestling with revitalization plans. The city is seeking grant money to help fund a study to determine what can and can't be done when a full-scale renovation process of Moccasin Creek finally begins. So far, Levsen said, the city has assessed public opinion on a possible Mog project, and what needs to happen next is to secure a study to see if that vision is possible from an engineering standpoint, and exactly what that would cost. Securing the grant and the study will put the city another step closer to getting the project done. We look forward to that happening. Though talks of various options have been tossed about for years, back in September 2006 there were two public meetings in Aberdeen to discuss revitalizing the slow-flowing creek. People were encouraged to attend - and quite a few did - to share their opinions about the Mog with representatives from the Westwood Group - the company hired to help do the revitalization planning - and with the city and the James River Water Development District. What the consulting group said at the time - in a nutshell - was that Aberdeen could choose to narrow the creek's channel in order to work with the natural flow of the water or keep Moccasin Creek wide, like it is now, and increase the water flow. Levsen said the purpose of the Westwood study was to gain input from the public as to what its vision was for Moccasin Creek. The consensus, he said, was to pursue the wide channel option. Other aspects of the project would likely include a general cleanup that would involve modification to the storm sewer discharges, dredging, a major control structure, piping of treated wastewater, increased pumping, a discharge feature and beautification efforts. This all sounds fabulous until you get to the price tag, which - though more of a "guesstimate" right now - is substantial. The total cost is estimated between $2.4 million and $2.8 million. All that is down the road, but it's exciting to think that the wheels of this process are - slowly but surely - turning. The NorthWestern project will remove 25,000 tons of sediment mixed with coal tar from the Mog. That's a significant start, and will no doubt make a positive impact on Moccasin Creek. It's a step in the right direction.